Method and apparatus for interrupting an active telephony session to deliver information to a subscriber

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for delivering information to a subscriber involved in an active telephony session is provided. A message originating from a sender and directed to the subscriber is received. Information related to the message is delivered to the subscriber by interrupting the active telephony session involving the subscriber.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to telecommunications and, moreparticularly, to a method and an apparatus for interrupting an activetelephony session to deliver information related to a message to asubscriber.

BACKGROUND

Currently, when a subscriber is on an active telephony session, such asa voice or video call, incoming calls from third parties are frequentlydirected to an electronic messaging service. Typically, the electronicmessaging service allows the calling party to leave a message in theform of a voice mail, video message and/or text message directed to thesubscriber. The messages left by the caller can then be retrieved lateron by the subscriber when the latter accesses his messages in hismessage mailbox.

A deficiency with voice-messaging services of the type described aboveis that they do not provide any mechanism for delivering a message tothe subscriber if the subscriber fails to access and retrieve hismessages from his message mailbox. As such, time sensitive messages maynot be heard on time because the subscriber does not have the time toretrieve his messages or because he may simply forget to retrieve them.For example, if a subscriber is waiting for an urgent or time sensitivevoice message and this subscriber is on a call or is otherwiseunavailable when the message comes in, this message will go unhearduntil the subscriber decides to check his message mailbox.

Against the background described above, it appears that there is a needin the industry to provide a method and apparatus for deliveringmessages to a subscriber that alleviates at least in part the problemsassociated with existing systems.

SUMMARY

In accordance with a broad aspect, the invention provides a method fordelivering information to a subscriber involved in a certain activetelephony session. The method comprises receiving a message originatingfrom a sender and directed to the subscriber and causing informationrelated to the message to be delivered to the subscriber by interruptingthe certain active telephony session.

Advantageously, the above described method allows a message to bedelivered to a subscriber while the subscriber is on an active telephonysession, such as a telephone call or video call.

In specific examples of implementation, the information caused to bedelivered to the subscriber may include audio information, videoinformation and/or text information.

In accordance with a specific example of implementation, the methodfurther comprises determining whether the sender is permitted tointerrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session and causinginformation related to the message to be delivered to the subscriberduring the certain active telephony session when it is determined thatthe sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an activetelephony session.

In accordance with a first specific example of implementation, whereinthe message is associated to sender identification data, the methodcomprises processing the sender identification data to determine whetherthe sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an activetelephony session. In accordance with a specific example ofimplementation, the method comprises processing the senderidentification data based at least in part on an interrupt privilegedatabase to determine whether the sender is permitted to interrupt thesubscriber during an active telephony session. The interrupt privilegedatabase includes a plurality of entries, each entry being associated toat least one potential sender for allowing determining whether the atleast one potential sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriberduring an active telephony session. In accordance with a specificexample, the interrupt privilege database includes a plurality ofentries, wherein at least one of these entries is associated to a groupof potential senders. The method comprises processing the senderidentification data to determine whether the sender is part of the groupof potential senders when determining whether the sender is permitted tointerrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session. In aspecific example of implementation, each entry in the plurality ofentries maps at least one potential sender to a corresponding interruptprivilege level, the interrupt privilege level being selected from a setof possible interrupt privilege levels.

In accordance with a second specific example of implementation, themethod comprises receiving an interrupt privilege password originatingfrom the sender and determining whether the sender is permitted tointerrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session at least inpart based on the interrupt privilege password.

In a specific example, the interrupt privilege database is defined atleast in part by the subscriber. Advantageously, by allowing thesubscriber to define at least some entries in the interrupt privilegedatabase, the subscriber is given flexibility in specifying under whichcircumstance the subscriber can be interrupted during an activetelephony session.

In accordance with a specific example of implementation, wherein themessage is a text message, the method comprises receiving a text messagedirected to the subscriber and processing the text message to generateaudio information related to the text message. The method also comprisescausing the audio information related to the message to be delivered tothe subscriber by interrupting the certain active telephony session.

In accordance with a specific example of implementation, the methodcomprises causing information related to the message to be delivered tothe subscriber during the certain active telephony session by:

-   -   disconnecting from the certain active telephony session a        communication device involved in the certain active telephony        session, the communication device being associated with the        subscriber;    -   delivering the information related to the message to the        subscriber through the communication device;    -   reconnecting the communication device to the certain active        telephony session.

In accordance with a alternative specific example of implementation, themethod comprises causing information related to the message to bedelivered to the subscriber during the certain active telephony sessionby bridging a message delivery system into the certain active telephonysession, more specifically by bridging the information related to themessage into the certain active telephony session.

In accordance with a specific example of implementation, wherein thecertain active telephony session involves the subscriber and at leastone other participant, the method comprises muting the at least oneother participant when the information related to the message is bridgedinto the certain active telephony session.

In accordance with a specific example of implementation, the message isa voice message and the sender is a caller. The method comprisesallowing the caller to record a voice message directed to the subscriberand associating caller identification data to the voice message. In afirst specific example of implementation, the information delivered tothe subscriber during the active telephony session involving thesubscriber indicates that there is a voice message for the subscriber.In a second specific example of implementation, the informationdelivered to the subscriber during the active telephony sessioninvolving the subscriber is an audio representation of at least part ofthe voice message itself.

In specific examples of implementation, the active telephony session isany type of active telephony session made over a communication networkand involving the subscriber. Examples of active telephony sessionsinclude, without being limited to, an active voice call, an active videocall and a multimedia call.

In accordance with a specific example of implementation, the informationrelated to the message is delivered to the subscriber during an activetelephony session involving the subscriber without being conveyed toanother party involved in the active telephony session.

In accordance with another specific example of implementation, thesubscriber is member of a certain subscriber group and the methodcomprises processing the sender identification data to determine whetherthe sender is member of the same certain subscriber group. The methodalso comprises determining whether the sender is permitted to interruptthe subscriber during an active telephony session at least in part basedon whether the sender is member of the certain subscriber group.

In accordance with another broad aspect, the invention provides anapparatus for delivering information to a subscriber involved in acertain active telephony session. The apparatus comprises a firstinterface suitable for receiving a message originating from a sender anddirected to the subscriber and a second interface suitable forcommunicating with a communication device associated with thesubscriber, the communication device being involved in the certainactive telephony session. The apparatus also comprises a processing unitin communication with the first interface and the second interfaceprogrammed for delivering information to the subscriber in accordancewith the above-described method.

In accordance with another broad aspect, the invention provides acomputer readable storage medium including a program element suitablefor execution by a computing apparatus for delivering information to asubscriber involved in a certain active telephony session. The computingapparatus comprises a memory unit and a processor in communication withthe memory unit. The program element when executing on the processor isoperative for delivering information to the subscriber in accordancewith the above-described method.

In accordance with another broad aspect, the invention provides anapparatus for delivering information to a subscriber involved in acertain active telephony session. The apparatus comprises means forreceiving a message originating from a sender and directed to thesubscriber and means for communicating with a communication deviceassociated with the subscriber, the communication device being involvedin the certain active telephony session. The apparatus also comprisesmeans for delivering information to the subscriber in accordance withthe above-described method.

In accordance with another broad aspect, the invention provides a methodfor delivering information to a subscriber. The method comprisesreceiving a message originating from a sender and intended for thesubscriber and determining whether the subscriber is involved in anactive telephony session. Upon determination that the subscriber isinvolved in an active telephony session, the method comprises causinginformation related to the message to be delivered to the subscriber byinterrupting the active telephony session in which the subscriber isinvolved.

In accordance with a specific example of implementation, in the absenceof an active telephony session involving the subscriber, the methodcomprises causing information related to the message to be delivered tothe subscriber in response to detection of an off-hook condition inconnection with a communication device associated with the subscriber.

In accordance with a specific example of implementation, the methodcomprises determining whether the sender is permitted to interrupt thesubscriber during an active telephony session. In the absence of anactive telephony session involving the subscriber, the method comprisingcausing information related to the message to be delivered to thesubscriber when both:

-   -   i) an off-hook condition is detected in connection with a        communication device associated with the subscriber; and    -   ii) it is determined that the sender is permitted to interrupt        the subscriber during an active telephony session.

In accordance with another broad aspect, the invention provides anapparatus for delivering information to a subscriber. The apparatuscomprises a first interface suitable for receiving a message originatingfrom a sender and directed to the subscriber and a second interface forcommunicating with a communication device associated with thesubscriber. The apparatus also comprises a processing unit incommunication with the first interface and the second interfaceprogrammed for delivering information to the subscriber in accordancewith the above-described method.

In accordance with another broad aspect, the invention provides acomputer readable storage medium including a program element suitablefor execution by a computing apparatus for delivering information to asubscriber. The computing apparatus comprises a memory unit and aprocessor in communication with the memory unit. The program elementwhen executing on the processor is operative for delivering informationto the subscriber in accordance with the above-described method.

In accordance with another broad aspect, the invention provides anapparatus for delivering information to a subscriber. The apparatuscomprises means for receiving a message originating from a sender anddirected to the subscriber and means for communicating with acommunication device associated with the subscriber. The apparatus alsocomprises means for delivering information to the subscriber inaccordance with the above-described method.

In accordance with another broad aspect, the invention provides acomputer readable storage medium storing an interrupt privilege databasesuitable for use by a message delivery system for determining whether asender of a message is permitted to interrupt a subscriber during anactive telephony session. The interrupt privilege database includes aplurality of entries, at least some entries in the plurality of entriesbeing defined by the subscriber. Each entry in the database isassociated to one or more potential senders for allowing determiningwhether the one or more potential senders are permitted to interrupt thesubscriber during an active telephony session.

These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description ofexample embodiments of the invention in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A detailed description of example embodiments of the present inventionis provided herein below, by way of example only, with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a message delivery system for delivering information to asubscriber in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows an example of potential contents of a message mailbox inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3A shows a first example of potential contents of an interruptprivilege database in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3B shows a second example of potential contents of an interruptprivilege database in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3C shows a third example of potential contents of an interruptprivilege database in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3D shows a fourth example of potential contents of an interruptprivilege database in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a message delivery apparatus suitable for use in themessage delivery system of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 5 shows an example of a process for delivering information to asubscriber in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 shows an example of a process for receiving and storing messagesoriginating from a sender in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 7 shows a specific practical example of implementation of themessage delivery system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 shows a communications network including the message deliverysystem of FIG. 1 in accordance with an alternative example ofimplementation of the invention.

It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings areonly for the purpose of illustration of certain embodiments of theinvention and are an aid for understanding. They are not intended to bea definition of the limits of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a message delivery system 100 providing a priorityelectronic message delivery service. As shown, the message deliverysystem 100 includes a message delivery apparatus 102, an interruptprivilege database 106, a message mailbox 104 and an incoming messageprocessing entity 118. In FIG. 1, the message delivery system 100 is incommunication with a subscriber communication device 116 for deliveringinformation thereto in accordance with the method and variants thereofdescribed later on in the present specification.

The subscriber communication device 116 may be embodied in any suitabledevice allowing a user to effect telephonic communications, includingreceiving an incoming call originating from a calling party device,originating an outgoing call destined for a called party device,participating in a call (voice or video) in progress and (optionally)sending a text message. For example, in various embodiments, thesubscriber communication device 116 may be a wired Plain Old TelephonySystem (POTS) phone (including a cordless phone), a wireless phone(e.g., a cellular phone or other mobile communication device, includinga telephony-enabled personal digital assistant (PDA)), aVoice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone, a POTS phone equipped with ananalog terminal adapter (ATA), a soft phone (i.e., a computer equippedwith telephony software), or a telephony-enabled television unit (e.g.,a set-top box connected to a television and a remote control). Dependingon functionality of the subscriber communication device 116, an activetelephony session involving the subscriber 150 may be a voice call, avideo call, a multimedia call or another type of call.

Although in the example depicted, the subscriber 150 is associated to asingle subscriber communication device 116, the subscriber 150 may beassociated to multiple communication devices in alternate examples ofimplementation. In such alternate examples of implementation, themessage delivery system 100 is in communication with these multiplesubscriber communication devices for delivering information thereto inaccordance with the methods and variants thereof described later on inthe present specification.

In FIG. 1, the message delivery system 100 is also shown incommunication with a sender communication device 120 for receivingtherefrom messages directed to the subscriber 150.

The sender communication device 120 may be any suitable device allowinga user (sender) 160 to effect telephonic communications, includingreceiving an incoming call originating from a calling party device,originating an outgoing call destined for a called party device,participating in a call (voice or video) in progress, (optionally)sending a text message (e.g., a Short Message Service (SMS) message), amultimedia message (e.g., a Multimedia Message Service (MMS) message),an instant messaging (IM) message) and (optionally) sending an e-mail.

The components of the message delivery system 100 and theirfunctionality will now be described in greater detail.

Message Mailbox 104

The message mailbox 104 includes a memory for storing messages directedto the subscriber 150 of the priority electronic message deliveryservice provided by the message delivery system 100. The specific formatin which messages are stored in the message mailbox 104 is not criticalto the invention and many variants are possible. FIG. 2 of the drawingsis a conceptual illustration of a non-limiting example of a messagemailbox 104 associated to subscriber 150. As shown, message mailbox 104includes a plurality of entries 250 a-c, each entry being associated toa respective message directed to subscriber 150. The message 204 may bean electronic message (e.g., an electronic mail (email) message, a textmessage (e.g., a Short Message Service (SMS) message), a multimediamessage (e.g., a Multimedia Message Service (MMS) message), an instantmessaging (IM) message), a voice message or a video message. In theexample shown, each entry in the message mailbox 104 includes a messagefield 204, sender identification data field 202 identifying the senderof the message 204 and (optionally) a description information field 206for providing information related to the message such as date/timeinformation message type and/or other suitable information.

In cases where the message is a voice message, the sender may also bereferred to as a caller. In such a case the sender identification datafield 202 may store caller identification data, which may be in the formof a caller name, telephone number or other suitable identifierassociated with the caller.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 2, each entry in the message mailbox 104includes an interrupt privilege password field 208 for storing aninterrupt privilege password provided by the sender of the message.Examples of the manner in which the sender of a message may provide theinterrupt privilege password will be described later on in thespecification.

Optionally, not shown in the figures, each entry in the message mailbox104 includes a priority message indication field indicating whether ornot the sender intended the message to be delivered to the subscriber byinterrupting an active telephony session. When the priority messageindication field indicates that the sender intended the message to bedelivered to the subscriber by interrupting an active telephony session,the message is referred to as a “priority message”. Conversely, when thepriority message indication field indicates that the sender did notintend the message to be delivered to the subscriber by interrupting anactive telephony session, the message is referred to as a “non-prioritymessage”.

Alternatively, message mailbox 104 stores only “priority messages” and aseparate message mailbox (not shown in the figures) is provided forstoring “non-priority messages”. In such an alternative implementation,entries in the message mailbox 104 are processed when providing thepriority electronic message delivery service while entries in themessage mailbox (not shown) storing the “non-priority messages” areprocessed when providing the conventional mail delivery service.

It is to be appreciated that the above-described examples of contents ofthe message mailbox 104 were presented for the purposes of illustrationand that many other variants are possible without detracting from thespirit of the invention.

Interrupt Privilege Database 106

Reverting to FIG. 1, the interrupt privilege database 106 includes amemory unit for storing information related to one or more conditions.These conditions are used by the message delivery apparatus 102 fordetermining whether a given message in the message mailbox 104 should bedelivered to the subscriber 150 through subscriber communication device116 prior to the subscriber proactively retrieving his messages from hismessage mailbox 104.

In a specific example, the interrupt privilege database 106 storesinformation for allowing the message delivery apparatus 102 todetermine, for a given message in the message mailbox 104, whether thesender of the message is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during anactive telephony session.

The interrupt privilege database 106 may be subscriber specific or maybe shared by a group of subscribers of the priority electronic messagedelivery service.

In cases where the interrupt privilege database 106 is subscriberspecific, at least some of the conditions for determining whether agiven message in the message mailbox 104 should be delivered aretailored to the subscriber 150. This tailoring of the interruptprivilege database 106 can be done by allowing the subscriber 150 tospecify conditions/situations in which messages in the message mailbox104 should be delivered. Any suitable manner for enabling the subscriberto specify such conditions/situations may be used. In a specific exampleof implementation, an “interruption configuration function” accessibleby the subscriber 150 is provided either by the message deliveryapparatus 102 or by another entity (not shown), this function allowingthe subscriber to enter and/or modify conditions in the interruptprivilege database 106. The “interruption configuration function” may beaccessible by the subscriber 150 through any suitable mechanismincluding for example the subscriber communication device 116 or someother suitable electronic interface such as, for example, a web-basedinterface.

In cases where the interrupt privilege database 106 is shared by a groupof subscribers of the priority electronic message delivery service, theinterrupt privilege database 106 includes a set of conditions fordetermining whether the sender of a message is permitted to interruptthe subscriber 150 during an active telephony session. In a firstnon-limiting example, the group of subscribers includes all employees ina company, say company ABC INC., and a condition in the interruptprivilege database 106 may specify that messages originating from theGeneral Manager are permitted to interrupt the subscribers in this groupduring active telephony sessions. In such an implementation, anadministrator of the priority electronic message delivery service, oranother person having administrator privileges for the priorityelectronic message delivery service, would specify this condition duringa configuration process of the interrupt privilege database 106. In asecond non-limiting example, the group of subscribers includes allmembers of a family, say Mr. Smith's family which may include Mr. Smith,Mrs. Smith, Junior Smith and Little-Girl Smith. A condition in theinterrupt privilege database 106 may specify that messages originatingfrom either Mr. Smith or Mrs. Smith are permitted to interrupt any ofthe subscribers in this group during active telephony sessions. In suchan implementation, a person having administrator privileges for thisservice, such as Mr. Smith and/or Mrs. Smith, would specify thiscondition during a configuration process of the interrupt privilegedatabase 106. Any suitable manner for enabling an administrator of themessage delivery service to specify the conditions to be tested may beused. In a specific example of implementation, an “interruptionconfiguration function” accessible by an administrator of the messagedelivery service is provided either by the message delivery apparatus102 or by another entity (not shown), this function allowing theadministrator of the message delivery service to enter and/or modifyconditions in the interrupt privilege database 106. The “interruptionconfiguration function” may be accessible by an administrator of themessage delivery service through any suitable mechanism including forexample the subscriber communication device 116 or some other suitableelectronic interface including for example a web-based interface.

In a specific example, the interrupt privilege database 106 includes aset of entries, each entry being associated to one or more potentialsenders for allowing determining whether the one or more potentialsenders are permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an activetelephony session. Several different embodiments of the interruptprivilege database 106 are possible. FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D of thedrawings are conceptual illustrations of specific examples ofimplementation of the contents of the interrupt privilege database 106.For the reader's ease of reference, the specific examples ofimplementation of the contents of the interrupt privilege database 106shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D have been assigned reference numerals106A 106B 106C and 106D respectively.

In FIG. 3A, a first example of an interrupt privilege database 106A isshown in simplified form. In this example, the interrupt privilegedatabase 106A includes a plurality of entries 302a-e each entryincluding sender identification data associated with one or morepotential senders of messages. In this example, a condition fordetermining whether a given message should be delivered to thesubscriber may be specified as follows:

-   -   if the given message originates from a sender corresponding to        any of the entries 302 a-e, then the sender is permitted to        interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session.    -   if the given message originates from a sender that does not        correspond to any of the entries 302 a-e, then the sender is not        permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony        session.

In the example depicted in FIG. 3A, the reader will note that entries302 d and 302 e are associated to respective groups of potentialsenders, namely an “Office Group” and a “Subscriber Group”. Although agroup of potential senders may include a single potential sender, agroup of potential senders will generally include two or more potentialsenders. The members of a group may be defined by the subscriber or byanother party authorized to create groups on behalf of the subscriber.

In FIG. 3B, a second example of an interrupt privilege database 106B isshown in simplified form. In this alternative implementation, theinterrupt privilege database includes a set of entries, at least someentries mapping a potential sender or group of senders to one or moreconditions that must be tested to determine whether an active telephonysession involving the subscriber can be interrupted. In the exampledepicted in FIG. 3B, a plurality of entries 304 a-e are provided, eachentry including sender identification data associated with one or morepotential senders of messages. Each entry specifies certain conditionsthat must be tested when determining whether the sender or sendersassociated with the entry is/are permitted to interrupt an activetelephony session involving the subscriber. In this example, a conditionfor determining whether a given message should be delivered to thesubscriber may be specified as follows:

-   -   if the given message originates from a sender corresponding to        any of the entries 304 a-e, then the sender is permitted to        interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session only        if the condition(s) associated with the entry corresponding to        the sender is(are) satisfied;    -   if the given message originates from a sender that does not        correspond to any of the entries 304 a-e, then the sender is not        permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony        session.

Advantageously, the example shown in FIG. 3B allows different conditionsto be tested depending on the identity of the sender, which thereforeprovides the subscriber with a level of flexibility in determining underwhich circumstances an active telephony session can be interrupted todeliver a message. In the example shown in FIG. 3B, differentcircumstances can be taken into account for different senders.

In FIG. 3C, a third example of an interrupt privilege database 106C isshown in simplified form. This example is similar to the exampledepicted in FIG. 3B in that a plurality of entries 306 a-e is provided,each entry being associated to one or more potential senders. In theexample depicted in FIG. 3C, each entry is associated to a respectivelevel of interrupt privilege where the respective level of interruptprivilege is selected from a set of possible levels of interruptprivilege, namely Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3. At least some levels ofinterrupt privilege in the set of possible levels of interruptprivileges are associated with one or more conditions that are to betested to determine whether interruption of an active telephony sessionto deliver a message is to take place. In the example shown in FIG. 3C,examples of the conditions associated with each level of interruptprivilege are provided. More specifically, a “Level 1” interruptprivilege specifies that messages originating from senders associated tothis privilege level are always permitted to interrupt active telephonysessions. A “Level 2” interrupt privilege specifies that messagesoriginating from senders associated to this privilege level arepermitted to interrupt active telephony sessions subject to a secondcondition, namely the day of week. This allows for example to specifythat messages originating from the “Office Group” are permitted tointerrupt active telephony sessions during weekdays but not otherwise. A“Level 3” interrupt privilege specifies that messages originating fromsenders associated to this privilege level are permitted to interruptactive telephony sessions subject to two different conditions, namelythe day of week and the identity of a party other than the subscriberinvolved in the active telephony session.

In FIG. 3D, a fourth example of an interrupt privilege database 106D isshown in simplified form. In this example, the interrupt privilegedatabase 106D includes a plurality of entries 310 a-e each entryincluding sender identification data associated with one or morepotential senders of messages. Some entries, labeled as entries 310 b310 c 310 d and 310 e in FIG. 3D, include an interrupt privilegepassword. In this example, a condition for determining whether a givenmessage should be delivered to the subscriber may be specified asfollows:

-   -   if the given message originates from a sender corresponding to        any of the entries 310 a-e, then the sender is permitted to        interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session only        if the sender provides a password corresponding to the interrupt        privilege password in the database 106D;    -   if the given message originates from a sender that does not        correspond to any of the entries 310 a-e, then the sender is not        permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony        session.

In the example shown in FIG. 3D, the potential senders in the databaseare provided with respective interrupt privilege passwords. It will beappreciated that certain senders may be exempt from having to provide aninterrupt privilege password while others are not. This may be the case,for example, if the sender is an authorized administrator for a group ofsubscribers (for example the head of a household, an office manager etc. . . ). In the example shown in FIG. 3D, sender “John Smith” in entry310 a is not required to provide an interrupt privilege password.Although the examples provided have shown the interrupt privilegepasswords to be in the form of a sequence of digits, it is to beappreciated that other formats for the interrupt privilege password arepossible without detracting from the spirit of the invention. Such otherformats may include, without being limited to, a voiceprint, analphanumeric sequence of characters and any other suitable format.

In yet another alternative example of implementation (not shown in thefigures), the interrupt privilege database 106 stores an interruptprivilege password common for all potential senders of messages. In thisexample, a condition for determining whether a given message should bedelivered to the subscriber may be specified as follows:

-   -   if the sender provides a password corresponding to the interrupt        privilege password in the database 106, then the sender is        permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony        session;    -   if the sender does not provide a password corresponding to the        interrupt privilege password in the database 106, then the        sender is not permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an        active telephony session.

An advantage of making use of an interrupt privilege password, whetherthe interrupt privilege password is common for all potential senders orwhether the interrupt privilege password is sender specific, is that itallows a sender having knowledge of the interrupt privilege password tohave the option of:

-   -   making use of the password such as to interrupt an active        communication involving the subscriber when sending a time        sensitive message;    -   not making use of the password and leaving a message in the        usual fashion (i.e. not interrupting an active communication        involving the subscriber) when sending a message that is less        time sensitive.

It is to be appreciated that the above-described examples of contents ofthe interrupt privilege database 106 were presented for the purposes ofillustration and that many other variants are possible withoutdetracting from the spirit of the invention.

It is to be appreciated that the interrupt privilege database 106 doesnot need to be a database dedicated to the priority electronic messagedelivery service provided by message delivery system 100. For instance,the interrupt privilege database 106 may be embodied as a generalpurpose electronic phone/address book associated to the subscriber 150,where the general purpose electronic phone/address book may be used byvarious communication services in addition to the priority electronicmessage delivery service provided by message delivery system 100.

In addition, it is to be appreciated that certain implementations mayomit the interrupt privilege database 106. For instance, the interruptprivilege database 106 may be omitted in cases where it is desirable forinformation related to a message to be delivered to the subscriber byinterrupting an active telephony session involving the subscriberirrespective of the sender from which the message originates and/orirrespective of any other circumstance.

Message Delivery Apparatus 102

Returning once again to FIG. 1, the message delivery apparatus 102implements the required functionality for delivering informationconveying a message to the subscriber 150.

Advantageously, the message delivery apparatus 102 enables thesubscriber 150 to receive messages or information related thereto eitherwhile the subscriber is on an active telephony session or afterdetection of an off-hook condition in connection with the subscribercommunication device 116. The message delivery apparatus 102 thereforeenables a message to be delivered to the subscriber without requiringthat the subscriber proactively access his voicemail service.

In a specific example of implementation, the message delivery apparatus102 implements the required functionality for processing a message fromthe message mailbox 104 to determine whether the sender of that messageis permitted to interrupt the subscriber when the latter is on an activetelephony session. Examples of the manner in which the message deliveryapparatus 102 may determine whether the sender of the message ispermitted to interrupt the subscriber 150 are described later on in thespecification.

Optionally, the message delivery apparatus 102 also implements therequired functionality for delivering messages to the subscriber 150 forallowing the subscriber to proactively retrieve his messages from themessage mailbox 104. The functionality related to this aspect, namelythat of delivering messages to the subscriber 150 when the subscriberproactively retrieves his messages from the message mailbox 104, can beimplemented according to any suitable well-known method. These methodsare not critical to the present invention and as such will not bedescribed further here.

A specific example of implementation of the message delivery apparatus102 will now be described with reference to FIG. 4.

As shown, the message delivery apparatus 102 includes a first interface110, a second interface 114, a third interface 124 and a processing unit108. The first interface 110 is in communication with message mailbox104 and is for receiving a notification that a message directed to thesubscriber 150 was received in voice mailbox 104. The second interface114 is for communicating with a communication device associated with thesubscriber, such as communication device 116. Although the secondinterface 114 has been shown for the purpose of simplicity as being indirect communication with the communication device 116, it should beappreciated that the communication between the second interface 114 andcommunication device 116 may be made over a communication network. Hencein such circumstances, the communication path between the secondinterface 114 and communication device 116 may include various networkrouting components. The third interface 124 is for communication withthe interrupt privilege database 106.

The processing unit 108 is in communication with the first interface110, the second interface 114 and third interface 124 and is programmedwith the required functionality for delivering information related to amessage to the subscriber by interrupting an active telephony sessioninvolving the subscriber. In a specific example of implementation, thedelivery of information to the subscriber by interrupting an activetelephony session involving the subscriber depends on the conditionsspecified in the interrupt privilege database 106.

The process implemented by the message delivery apparatus 102 inaccordance with a specific example of implementation of the inventionwill now be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

At step 400, the processing unit 108 receives a notification that amessage directed to the subscriber 150 was received in voice mailbox104. In a specific example of implementation, step 400 is initiated whena new message is received by the message mailbox 104. In implementationswhere the entries in the message mailbox 104 include a priority messageindication field indicating whether or not the sender intended themessage to be delivered to the subscriber by interrupting an activetelephony session, the processing unit 108 proceeds to step 401.Otherwise, in implementations where the entries in the message mailbox104 do not include a priority message indication field, the processingunit 108 skips step 401 and proceeds to step 402.

At step 401, the information in the priority message indication field istaken into account to determine whether the message should be deliveredto the subscriber by interrupting an active telephony session. Morespecifically, if at step 401, the processing unit 108 determines that,based on the priority message indication field associated with themessage, the sender did not intend to interrupt an active telephonysession to deliver the message, the processing unit 108 proceeds to step404. If at step 402, the processing unit 108 determines that, based onthe priority message indication field associated with the message, thesender intended to interrupt an active telephony session to deliver themessage, the processing unit 108 proceeds to step 402.

At step 402, the processing unit 108 determines whether the senderassociated with the message received in the message mailbox 104 ispermitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephonysession. In a specific example of implementation, step 402 appliesconditions specified in the interrupt privilege database 106 todetermine whether the sender of the message is permitted to interruptthe subscriber during an active telephony session.

If at step 402, the processing unit 108 determines that the sender ofthe message is not permitted to interrupt the subscriber during anactive telephony session, the processing unit 108 proceeds to step 404.If at step 402, the processing unit 108 determines that the sender ofthe message is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an activetelephony session, the processing unit 108 proceeds to step 406. It willbe appreciated that, in implementations where the interrupt privilegedatabase 106 is omitted and/or where it is desirable for informationrelated to a message to be delivered to the subscriber by interruptingan active telephony session involving the subscriber irrespective of thecircumstances surrounding the message, step 402 may be omitted. In suchimplementations, processing unit 108 would proceed directly from step400 (or step 401) to step 406.

At step 404, the message for which a notification is received at step400 is processed in accordance with usual message handling procedures.In a specific example, the message for which a notification is receivedat step 400 is delivered to the subscriber the next time the subscriberproactively accesses his voice messages.

A step 406, which is initiated when the processing unit 108 determinesat step 402 that the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriberduring an active telephony session, a determination is made as towhether the subscriber is on an active telephony session. Depending onthe type of subscriber communication device 116 (shown in FIG. 1), anactive telephony session involving the subscriber may be a voice call, avideo call, a multimedia call or any similar other type of telephonysession.

In the specific example shown in FIG. 1, where the subscriber 150 isassociated to a single communication device 116, a determination is madeas to whether this single communication device 116 is engaged in anactive telephony session. If step 406 determines that the singlecommunication device associate with the subscriber is not engaged in anactive telephony session, the system proceeds to step 408. Otherwise, ifstep 406 determines that the single communication device 116 is engagedin an active telephony session, the system proceeds to step 410.

In an alternate example where the subscriber is associated to multiplecommunication devices, at step 406 a determination is made as to whetherany one of these multiple communication devices is engaged in an activetelephony session. If step 406 determines that none of the multiplecommunication devices associated with the subscriber is engaged in anactive telephony session, the system proceeds to step 408. Otherwise, ifstep 406 determines that at least one of the multiple communicationdevices associated with the subscriber is engaged in an active telephonysession, the system proceeds to step 410.

The specific manner in which the processing unit 108 determines whetherthe one or more communication devices associated with the subscriber areengaged in an active telephony session is not critical to the invention.As such, any suitable method for determining whether the one or morecommunication devices associated with the subscriber are engaged in anactive telephony session may be used. Such methods are well known in thefield of telephony and as such will not be described further here.

At step 408, which is initiated when step 406 determines that thesubscriber is not on an active telephony session, the message is handledin accordance with a priority handling process. Different embodimentsmay implement the priority handling process in different manners.

In a specific example, in the absence of an active telephony sessioninvolving the subscriber, the priority handling process includesdelivering information related to the message to the subscriber inresponse to detection of an off-hook condition in connection with acommunication device associated with the subscriber. In such animplementation, the message is placed in a queue and the processing unit108 then monitors the one or more communication devices associated tothe subscriber for detection on off-hook condition associated with anyone of these devices. In response to detection of an off-hook condition,the processing unit 108 causes information related to the message to bedelivered to the subscriber via the device associated with the off-hookcondition.

As will be appreciated by the person skilled in the art, an off-hookcondition may occur in connection with a communication device when thecommunication device is taken off-hook to initiate a telephony session.When that is the case, the process described above can be used todeliver the information related to the message to the subscriber via thecommunication device associated with the off-hook condition. It willalso be appreciated that an off-hook condition may occur in connectionwith a communication device when the communication device is takenoff-hook to answer an inbound call. If the subscriber receives aninbound call before attempting to make an outbound call, then processingunit 108 could for example:

-   -   interrupt the incoming call and deliver information related to        the message (in a manner similar to that which will be described        with reference to step 410); or    -   wait until the next off-hook condition when the communication        device is taken off-hook to initiate a telephony session.

In another specific example (not shown in the figures), in the absenceof an active telephony session involving the subscriber, the messagereceived by the message mailbox 104 is handled in accordance with usualwell-known message handling procedures. In a specific example, themessage is delivered to the subscriber the next time the subscriberretrieves his messages from the message mailbox 104.

At step 410, which is initiated when the processing unit 108 determinesat step 406 that the subscriber is on an active telephony session, theprocessing unit 108 delivers information related to the message thesubscriber by interrupting the active telephony session involving thesubscriber.

In a specific example of implementation, the information related to themessage is delivered to the subscriber through at least onecommunication device associated with the subscriber. If the subscriberis associated to a single communication device, as shown in the exampledepicted in FIG. 1, the processing unit 108 interrupts the communicationsession to deliver the information related to the message to thesubscriber 150 through that single communication device 116. If thesubscriber is associated to more than one communication device where acertain one of the communication devices is involved in the activetelephony session, the processing unit 108 interrupts the communicationsession to deliver the information related to the message to thesubscriber 150 through the certain one communication device. Optionally,in a situation where two or more communication devices associated withthe subscriber are engaged in multiple active telephony sessions, theprocessing unit 108 interrupts the multiple active communicationsessions to deliver the information related to the message to thesubscriber 150 through the two or more communication devices engaged inthe multiple active telephony sessions.

Preferably, when information related to the message is delivered to thesubscriber by interrupting an active telephony session involving thesubscriber, it is delivered to the subscriber without being conveyed toanother party involved in the active telephony session. In a specificexample, when the active communication is a voice call between thesubscriber and another party and the information related to the messageis in the form of audio information, the processing unit 108 synthesizesaudio information related to the message only on the subscriber end ofthe telephony session so that the other party does not hear the audioinformation being delivered. Advantageously, this allows maintaining theprivacy of messages directed to the subscriber. It will however beappreciated that, in certain implementations, the processing unit 108may deliver the audio information in such a way as to be heard by thesubscriber and by other parties involved in the active telephonysession.

The contents and/or composition of the information delivered to thesubscriber may vary from one implementation to the other and may dependon the format of the message itself.

In a first example, the information related to the message indicatesthat there is a message for the subscriber. The information may alsoindicate various characteristics of the message such as, for example:

-   -   the identity of the sender;    -   the time the message was sent and/or received;    -   if the message was a voice call, the originating phone number;    -   if the message was an e-mail message, the originating e-mail        address or server name; and/or any other suitable information        that may be useful to the subscriber.

In a non-limiting example, information of the following format may beconsidered: “You have a voice message from J. Smith received at 2:00PM”.

In a variant of the above first example, in addition to providinginformation conveying that there is a message for the subscriber, thesubscriber is provided with an option for causing an audiorepresentation of the message to be delivered to the subscriber. In anon-limiting example, information of the following format may beconsidered: “You have a voice message from J. Smith received at 2:00 PM.To listen to this message, press 1 now.”. If the subscriber enter “1” onhis communication device, the voice message is delivered to thesubscriber. As will be appreciated, in cases whether the message is avideo message, the above-described example could be modified byproviding the subscriber an option for causing a video representation ofthe message to be delivered to the subscriber. In a non-limitingexample, information of the following format may be considered: “Youhave a video message from J. Smith received at 2:00 PM. To view to thismessage, press 1 now.”.

In a second example, the information delivered to the subscriber byinterrupting the active telephony session involving the subscriber is anaudio or video representation of the message. More specifically, in apractical example where the message from the sender is a voice message,the processing unit 108 delivers an audio representation of the voicemessage. In an alternative practical example where the message is a textmessage, the processing unit 108 implements suitable text-to-speechfunctionality for delivering to the subscriber an audio synthesizedrepresentation of the text message. In another practical example wherethe message from the sender is a video message, the processing unit 108delivers a video representation of the video message.

Optionally, once the information related to the message is delivered tothe subscriber at step 410, the processing unit 108 may automaticallydelete the message from message mailbox 104. Alternatively, the messagemay remain in message mailbox 104 so that it may be retrieved therefromat a later time by the subscriber in a manner similar to that ofconventional voicemail.

Optionally still, in implementations where message mailbox 104 storesonly “priority messages” and a separate message mailbox (not shown inthe figures) is provided for storing “non-priority messages”, theprocessing unit 108 may automatically delete the message from messagemailbox 104 and store a copy of the message in the message mailboxstoring the “non-priority messages”. In such a manner, the message maybe retrieved at a later time by the subscriber in a manner similar tothat of conventional voicemail along with the other messages in themessage mailbox storing “non-priority messages”.

It will be appreciated that the process depicted in FIG. 5 andimplemented by processing unit 108 is repeated for each message receivedby the message mailbox 104 and directed to the subscriber of the messagedelivery service provided by the message delivery system 100 (shown inFIG. 1).

Returning to FIG. 1, as described in connection with the interruptprivilege database 106, the message delivery apparatus 102 may providefunctionality for implementing an “interruption configuration function”accessible by the subscriber 150, this function allowing the subscriberto enter and/or modify conditions in the interrupt privilege database106. Alternatively, such an “interruption configuration function” may beprovided by a configuration entity (not shown in the figures) distinctfrom the message delivery apparatus 102, such configuration entity beingin communication with the interrupt privilege database. The“interruption configuration function” may be accessible by thesubscriber 150 through any suitable mechanism including for example thesubscriber communication device 116 or some other electronic interfaceincluding for example a web-based interface. Manners for providingconfiguration functionality to a subscriber in relation to a telephonyservice are known in the art and any suitable mechanism may be usedhere. In a non-limiting example, a mechanism similar to that which maybe used for entering information into an electronic address book may beused entering information in the interrupt privilege database 106.

Incoming Message Processing Entity 118

Returning to FIG. 1, the incoming message processing entity 118implements suitable functionality for establishing a communication linkwith a sender communication device 120 for receiving, processing andstoring the messages directed to the subscriber 150 in the messagemailbox 104. Although the incoming message-processing entity 118 hasbeen shown for the purpose of simplicity as being in directcommunication with the sender communication device 120, processingentity unit 118 and the sender communication device 120 may be made overa communication network. Hence in such circumstances, the communicationpath between the incoming message-processing entity 118 and sendercommunication device 120 may include various network routing componentssuch as switches, routers, gateways and computing nodes for example.

Systems and devices for receiving messages of the types described in thepresent specification are well known in the art and any suitable systemmay be used here in connection with the present invention. In a specificexample, the incoming message processing entity 118 implements voiceand/or video messaging functionality.

In a specific example of implementation, the incoming message processingentity 118 generates an entry in the message mailbox 104 for messagesreceived from a sender. Preferably, each entry generated by the incomingmessage processing entity 118 is associated with sender identificationdata conveying information related to the sender of the message. Theformat of the entries may vary from one implementation to the other.Examples of such format were described above in connection with messagemailbox 104 and FIG. 2. Optionally, each entry may also include aninterrupt privilege password provided by the sender of the message. Theinterrupt privilege password may be provided by the sender in a numberof different manners. For example, in the case where the message is inthe form of an e-mail, the interrupt privilege password may be providedin the “Subject:” or “RE:” field of the e-mail. In the case where themessage is a text message, the interrupt privilege password may beprovided in a word or set of words of the text message.

In another example, where the message is a voice message, the passwordmay be provided by the sender as a digital password entered during theprocess of recording the message by the voice message service, oralternatively, as a voice print. FIG. 6 of the drawings processingentity unit 118 in connection with a voice or video message.

As shown, at step 500, the voice message process is initiated wherebythe incoming message processing entity 118 prompts the caller (sender)to record a voice/video message. It will be appreciated that the promptat step 500 may be triggered by the caller (sender) 160 (shown inFIG. 1) attempting to establish a telephony session with the subscriber150 (shown in FIG. 1) wherein the subscriber 150 is either alreadyinvolved in another telephony session or is otherwise unavailable torespond to the caller (sender) 160. Alternatively, the prompt at step500 may be triggered by the sender 160 initiating a process for sendinga message to the subscriber 150 without attempting to establish atelephony session with the subscriber. In other words, the sender merelywishes to send a message to the subscriber without first attempting toestablish a telephony session with the subscriber. In this alternativescenario, the sender may trigger processing entity unit 118 to initiatestep 500 by entering a password, code or any other suitable informationvia the sender communication device 120.

At step 502, incoming message processing entity 118 records thevoice/video message from the sender 160 in the conventional manner. Oncethe recording is completed the system proceeds to optional step 504 orto step 506 if step 504 is omitted.

At optional step 504, the incoming message processing entity 118 promptsthe caller (sender) to indicate whether or not the voice/video messageshould be delivered to the subscriber in a priority manner (for exampleby interrupting an active telephony session or when an off-hookcondition is detected in connection with a communication deviceassociated with the subscriber). If the caller indicates that thevoice/video message should not be delivered to the subscriber in apriority manner, the incoming message processing entity 118 identifiesthe voice/video message as a “non-priority message” and proceeds to step506. If the caller indicates that the voice/video message should bedelivered to the subscriber in a priority manner, the incoming messageprocessing entity 118 identifies the voice/video message as a “prioritymessage” and proceeds to step 506. Optionally, if the caller indicatedthat the voice/video message should be delivered to the subscriber in apriority manner, the incoming message processing entity 118 may furtherprompt the caller (sender) to provide an interrupt privilege password.In response to this further prompt, the caller may provide an interruptprivilege password or may refuse to do so. In this example, theinterrupt privilege password may be provided in any suitable formatincluding, without being limited to, a spoken utterance and a sequenceof digits or DTMF tones provided on the communication device 120.

Alternatively, at step 504, instead of prompting the caller (sender) toindicate whether or not the voice/video message should be delivered tothe subscriber in a priority manner, the incoming message processingentity 118 may prompt the caller (sender) to provide an interruptprivilege password. In response to this prompt, the caller may eitherprovide an interrupt privilege password or may refuse to do so. Byrefusing to provide an interrupt privilege password, the caller (sender)would be implicitly identifying the voice/video message as a“non-priority message” while by providing an interrupt privilegepassword, the caller (sender) would be implicitly identifying thevoice/video message as a “priority message”. It will be readilyappreciated that step 504 may be omitted from certain implementationswithout detracting from the spirit of the invention.

At step 506, the incoming message processing entity 118 stores thevoice/video message in the message mailbox 104 (shown in FIG. 1) alongwith the caller (sender) identification information and (optionally) theinterrupt privilege password provided at step 504.

Optionally, the message processing entity 118 may also store thevoice/video message in the message mailbox 104 with informationindicating whether or not the sender intended the message to bedelivered to the subscriber in a priority manner (“priority message” v.“non-priority message”). The information indicating whether or not thesender intended the message to be delivered to the subscriber in apriority manner may be stored in association with the message in apriority message indication field.

Alternatively, messages identified as “priority messages” may be storedin message mailbox 104 (shown in FIG. 1) and messages identified as“non-priority messages” are stored in another message mailbox (not shownin the figures) distinct from message mailbox 104.

It is to be appreciated by the person skilled in the art that manyvariants on the incoming message processing entity 118 are possible andwill be apparent to the person skilled in the art.

Although the incoming message processing entity 118 has been shown as adifferent component that the message delivery apparatus 102, it shouldbe appreciated that the functionality of these devices 118 102 may beimplemented by a same physical entity without detracting from the spiritof the invention.

Specific Physical Implementation

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in some embodiments,certain functionality of the message delivery system 100 (shown inFIG. 1) may be implemented as pre-programmed hardware or firmwareelements (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs),electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), etc.)or other related elements.

In other embodiments of the invention, all or part of the functionalitypreviously described herein with respect to the message delivery system100 may be implemented as software consisting of a series ofinstructions for execution by a computing unit. The series ofinstructions could be stored on a medium which is fixed, tangible andreadable directly by the computing unit, (e.g., removable diskette,CD-ROM, ROM, PROM, EPROM or fixed disk), or the instructions could bestored remotely but transmittable to the computing unit via a modem orother interface device (e.g., a communications adapter) connected to anetwork over a transmission medium. The transmission medium may beeither a tangible medium (e.g., optical or analog communications lines)or a medium implemented using wireless techniques (e.g., microwave,infrared or other transmission schemes).

The message delivery system 100 (shown in FIG. 1) may be configured as acomputing unit 700 of the type depicted in FIG. 7, including aprocessing unit 702 and a memory 704 connected by a communication bus708. The memory 704 includes data 710 and program instructions 706. In aspecific example of implementation, the data 710 stored in memory 704includes the interrupt privilege database 106 and the message mailbox104 (shown in FIG. 1). The processing unit 702 is adapted to process thedata 710 and the program instructions 706 in order to implement thefunctional blocks described in the specification and depicted in thedrawings. In a non-limiting implementation, the program instructions 706implement the functionality of the message delivery apparatus 102 (shownin FIG. 1) described above. The computing unit 700 may also comprise anumber of interfaces 712 for receiving or sending data and or signals toexternal devices. For example, interface 712 is used for communicatingwith the subscriber communication device 116 (shown in FIG. 1) fordelivering information thereto and interface 714 is used forcommunicating with the sender communication device 120 (shown in FIG. 1)for receiving messages originating therefrom.

In a specific example of implementation, the message delivery system 100(shown in FIG. 1) is a component of a communication network providingcommunication related services to subscribers. FIG. 8 shows an exampleof implementation of the message delivery system 100 embodied as part ofa communications network 22.

As depicted, the subscriber communication device 116′ in communicationwith message delivery system 100 through a switching/routing entity 18via a network portion 20 of the communications network 22. Theswitching/routing entity 18 enables a subscriber communication device116′ to reach or be reached by any of various communication devices,such as sender communication device 120′. Similarly, the sendercommunication device 120′ is connected to the switching/routing entity18 via a network portion 24 of the communications network 22.

The communications network 22 may comprise a portion of one or more ofthe Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a wireless network (e.g.,a cellular network), and a data network (e.g., the Internet).

The nature of the network portion 20 and the switching/routing entity 18will depend on the nature of the communication device 116′ and where theswitching/routing entity 18 resides in the communications network 22.For example, where the communication device 116′ is a wired POTS phoneand the switching/routing entity 18 resides in the PSTN, the networkportion 20 may comprise a telephone line in the PSTN and theswitching/routing entity 18 may be part of a central office switch. Asanother example, where the communication device 116′ is a wireless phoneand the switching/routing entity 18 resides in a wireless network, thenetwork portion 20 may comprise a wireless link in combination with abase station and a wireline link, and the switching/routing entity 18may be part of a mobile switching center. As yet another example, wherethe communication device 116′ is a VoIP phone or an ATA-equipped POTSphone and the switching/routing entity 18 resides in a data network, thenetwork portion 20 may comprise a digital communications link (e.g., adigital subscriber line (DSL) link, a cable link, or a wireless datalink such as a WiMAX link) and the switching/routing entity 18 may bepart of a softswitch or a router (e.g., an edge router or a corerouter). As yet another example, where the communication device 116′ isa soft phone, the network portion 20 may comprise a digitalcommunications link and the switching/routing entity 18 may be part of aserver equipped with a modem. It will be appreciated that various otherimplementations of the network portion 20 and the switching/routingentity 18 are possible (e.g., where the communication device 116′ is atelephony-enabled television unit). It will also be appreciated that thenetwork portion 20 may span across different networks (e.g., PSTN,wireless, and/or data networks) in which case it may comprise one ormore gateways enabling communication and interoperability between thesenetworks. Such gateways are well known and need not be described infurther detail.

Similarly, the nature of the network portion 24 will depend on thenature of the communication device 120′ and where the switching/routingentity 18 resides in the communications network 22. Thus, the networkportion 24 may comprise, for example, one or more of a telephone line inthe PSTN, a wireless link in combination with a base station and awireline link, a digital communications link, and one or more gatewaysenabling communication and interoperability between different networks.

The switching/routing entity 18 comprises suitable hardware, firmware,software, control logic, or a combination thereof for implementing aplurality of functional components, including an interface and aprocessing unit. The interface of the switching/routing entity 18 isadapted to receive and send signals over the network portions 20 and 24to communicate with communication devices (such as the communicationdevices 120′ and 116′). The interface of the switching/routing entity 18is also adapted to allow interaction between the switching/routingentity 18 and one or more other network entities, including the messagedelivery system 100. The processing unit of the switching/routing entity18 is adapted to effect various processing operations to implement thatentity's functionality.

In a practical implementation, the functionality of the message deliverysystem 100 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 8) is implemented at a softswitch orpacket-based application server. Such components are well-known in thefield of VoIP telephony. For additional information related to suchcomponents, the reader is invited to refer to international PCT patentapplication entitled “A METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ESTABLISHING A CONNECTIONWITH A PACKET-BASED APPLICATION SERVER”, filed on Dec. 21, 2007 in theCanadian Receiving Office, by Jonathan Allan Arsenault et al. The serialnumber of this application is not yet available. The contents of thisdocument are incorporated herein by reference.

In such an implementation, the packet-based application server handlesall incoming and outgoing calls between all the various communicationdevices irrespective of technology platform (i.e. PSTN, wireless orVoIP). In this way, the packet-based application server has full controlover each established telephony session so that information related to amessage may be bridged or injected into any active telephony session.

As described above with reference to FIG. 5, at step 410, which isinitiated when the processing unit 108 determines that the subscriber ison an active telephony session, the processing unit 108 deliversinformation related to the message the subscriber by interrupting theactive telephony session involving the subscriber.

In a first practical implementation using a packet-based applicationserver, the server could implement that step by bridging-in informationrelated to a message into an active telephony session between twoparties, in effect forming a type of 3-way call. The party in the activetelephony session who the message is not intended for can be mutedbefore delivering the information related to the message to the intendedrecipient (the subscriber). In another example, it may be desirable thatnone of the parties are muted so that information related to the messageis injected into the active telephony session to be heard (or seen incase of video information) by all parties in the active telephonysession (sort of like a broadcast interrupt message). Optionally, theserver could implement functionality for allowing for the subscriber todecide if he/she would like to listen to take the message. For example,the system could bridge into an active telephony session and inform thesubscriber using a message of the type “Urgent Message from John Smith;press 1 to listen”. If the subscriber decides to listen to the message,at that point they themselves could inform the other party (or parties)engaged in the active telephony session that they are going to take amessage and will be temporarily leaving the active telephony session.After listening to the message, the subscriber can return to the activetelephony session. Using the same scenario, the server could enable aspecial one-way tone to be played during an active telephony sessionindicating to the recipient that they have a message waiting to beheard. The recipient could then decide if he/she would like to listen tothe message at that time.

In a second practical implementation using a packet-based applicationserver, when the subscriber for who the message is intended is on anactive telephony session with one or more other parties, the servercould disconnect the subscriber from the active telephony session. Theserver may then deliver the information related to the message to thesubscriber. After the information is delivered, the server may thenreconnect the subscriber to the active telephony session with the one ormore other parties involved in the active telephony session. In such anexample, the other party is effectively placed “on-hold” or, in the caseof multi-party calls (example a conference call involving the subscriberand two or more other parties), a telephony session may be maintainedbetween the other parties while the subscriber is disconnect to deliverthe information related to the message. Optionally, the server may senda notification to the one or more other parties involved in the activetelephony session to warn them of the subscriber's temporary absence inorder to take the message. Such a notification may be in a form such as“Please note that John is taking an urgent message”).

It will be apparent that the above methods can easily be extended toactive telephony sessions involving more than two parties (e.g. threeway calls, conference calls).

In yet another possible implementation, the functionality of the messagedelivery system 100 (shown in FIG. 8) may be implemented in the PSTNdomain. In such an implementation, the DMS switch may be configured withnative or built-in functionality to enable such third party mediainjection in an active telephony session. Similarly, the functionalityof the message delivery system 100 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 8) may beimplemented a wireless equivalent module.

Although various embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed and illustrated, it will be apparent to those skilled in theart that numerous modifications and variations can be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, which is defined in theappended claims.

1. A method for delivering information to a subscriber involved in a certain active telephony session, said method comprising: a) receiving a message originating from a sender and directed to the subscriber, wherein the message is associated to sender identification data; b) causing information related to the message to be delivered to the subscriber by interrupting the certain active telephony session; c) determining whether the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session by processing the sender identification data; d) causing information related to the message to be delivered to the subscriber during the certain active telephony session when it is determined that the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session.
 2. (canceled)
 3. (canceled)
 4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said message is a voice message and wherein the sender is a caller.
 5. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein said method comprises: a) allowing the caller to record a voice message directed to a subscriber; b) associating caller identification data to said voice message.
 6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the information caused to be delivered to the subscriber during the certain active telephony session is an audio representation of the voice message.
 7. A method as defined in claim 1, said method further comprising processing said sender identification data based at least in part on an interrupt privilege database to determine whether the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session.
 8. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the interrupt privilege database includes a plurality of entries, each entry being associated to at least one potential sender for allowing determining whether the at least one potential sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session.
 9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein each entry in said plurality of entries maps at least one potential sender to a corresponding interrupt privilege level.
 10. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the interrupt privilege is selected from a set of possible interrupt privilege levels.
 11. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the interrupt privilege database is defined at least in part by the subscriber.
 12. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein said interrupt privilege database includes a plurality of entries, at least one entry in said plurality of entries being associated to a group of potential senders comprising at least two potential senders, said method comprising processing said sender identification data to determine whether the sender is part of the group of potential senders when determining whether the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session.
 13. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the certain active telephony session is an active voice call.
 14. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the certain active telephony session is an active video call.
 15. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the information related to the message indicates that there is a message for the subscriber.
 16. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the subscriber is member of a certain subscriber group, said method comprising: i) processing said sender identification data to determine whether the sender is member of the certain subscriber group; ii) determining whether the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session at least in part based on whether the sender is member of the certain subscriber group.
 17. A method as defined in claim 16, said method comprising determining that the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session when the sender is member of the certain subscriber group.
 18. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the information related to the message is delivered to the subscriber during the certain active telephony session without being conveyed to another party involved in the certain active telephony session.
 19. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said message is a text message, said method comprising receiving a text message directed to the subscriber.
 20. A method as defined in claim 19, wherein said method comprising: a) processing said text message to generate audio information related to the text message; b) causing the audio information related to the message to be delivered to the subscriber by interrupting the certain active telephony session.
 21. A method as defined in claim 1, said method comprising: a) receiving an interrupt privilege password originating from the sender; b) determining whether the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session at least in part based on the interrupt privilege password.
 22. A method as defined in claim 1, said method comprises causing information related to the message to be delivered to the subscriber during the certain active telephony session by: a) disconnecting from the certain active telephony session a communication device involved in the certain active telephony session, the communication device being associated with the subscriber; b) delivering the information related to the message to the subscriber through the communication device; c) reconnecting the communication device to the certain active telephony session.
 23. A method as defined in claim 1, said method comprises causing information related to the message to be delivered to the subscriber during the certain active telephony session by bridging a message delivery system into the certain active telephony session.
 24. A method as defined in claim 1, said method comprising causing information related to the message to be delivered to the subscriber during the certain active telephony session by bridging the information related to the message into the certain active telephony session.
 25. A method as defined in claim 23, wherein the certain active telephony session involves the subscriber and at least one other participant, said method comprising muting the at least one other participant when the information related to the message is bridged into the certain active telephony session.
 26. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the information caused to be delivered to the subscriber includes audio information.
 27. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the information caused to be delivered to the subscriber includes video information.
 28. (canceled)
 29. (canceled)
 30. (canceled)
 31. (canceled)
 32. (canceled)
 33. (canceled)
 34. An apparatus for delivering information to a subscriber involved in a certain active telephony session, said apparatus comprising: a) a first interface suitable for receiving a message originating from a sender and directed to the subscriber, wherein the message is associated to sender identification data; b) a second interface suitable for communicating with a communication device associated with the subscriber, the communication device being involved in the certain active telephony session; c) a processing unit in communication with said first interface and said second interface, said processing unit being programmed for: i) receiving the message originating from the sender and directed to the subscriber; ii) causing information related to the message to be delivered to the subscriber through the communication device by interrupting the certain active telephony session; iii) determining whether the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session by processing the sended identification data; iv) causing information related to the message to be delivered to the subscriber during the certain active telephony session when it is determined that the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session.
 35. (canceled)
 36. (canceled)
 37. An apparatus as defined in claim 34, wherein said message is a voice message and wherein the sender is a caller.
 38. An apparatus as defined in claim 37, wherein said processing unit is programmed for: a) allowing the caller to record a voice message directed to a subscriber; b) associating caller identification data to said voice message.
 39. An apparatus as defined in claim 38, wherein the information caused to be delivered to the subscriber during the certain active telephony session is an audio representation of the voice message.
 40. An apparatus as defined in claim 34, wherein said processing unit is programmed for processing said sender identification data based at least in part on an interrupt privilege database to determine whether the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session.
 41. An apparatus as defined in claim 40, wherein the interrupt privilege database includes a plurality of entries, each entry being associated to at least one potential sender for allowing determining whether the at least one potential sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session.
 42. An apparatus as defined in claim 41, wherein each entry in said plurality of entries maps at least one potential sender to a corresponding interrupt privilege level.
 43. An apparatus as defined in claim 42, wherein the interrupt privilege level is selected from a set of possible interrupt privilege levels.
 44. An apparatus as defined in claim 40, wherein the interrupt privilege database is defined at least in part by the subscriber.
 45. An apparatus as defined in claim 40, wherein said interrupt privilege database includes a plurality of entries, at least one entry in said plurality of entries being associated to a group of potential senders comprising at least two potential senders, wherein said processing unit is programmed for processing said sender identification data to determine whether the sender is part of the group of potential senders when determining whether the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session.
 46. An apparatus as defined in claim 34, wherein the certain active telephony session is an active voice call.
 47. An apparatus as defined in claim 34, wherein the certain active telephony session is an active video call.
 48. An apparatus as defined in claim 34, wherein the information related to the message indicates that there is a message for the subscriber.
 49. An apparatus as defined in claim 34, wherein the subscriber is member of a certain subscriber group and wherein said processing unit is programmed for: i) processing said sender identification data to determine whether the sender is member of the certain subscriber group; ii) determining whether the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session at least in part based on whether the sender is member of the certain subscriber group.
 50. An apparatus as defined in claim 49, wherein said processing unit is programmed for determining that the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session when the sender is member of the certain subscriber group.
 51. An apparatus as defined in claim 34, wherein the information related to the message is delivered to the subscriber during the certain active telephony session without being conveyed to another party involved in the certain active telephony session.
 52. An apparatus as defined in claim 34, wherein said message is a text message, said method comprising receiving a text message directed to the subscriber.
 53. An apparatus as defined in claim 52, wherein said processing unit is programmed for: a) processing said text message to generate audio information related to the text message; b) causing the audio information related to the message to be delivered to the subscriber by interrupting the certain active telephony session.
 54. An apparatus as defined in claim 34, wherein said processing unit is programmed for: a) receiving an interrupt privilege password originating from the sender; b) determining whether the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session at least in part based on the interrupt privilege password.
 55. An apparatus as defined in claim 34, wherein said processing unit is programmed for causing information related to the message to be delivered to the subscriber during the certain active telephony session by: a) disconnecting from the certain active telephony session a communication device involved in the certain active telephony session, the communication device being associated with the subscriber; b) delivering the information related to the message to the subscriber through the communication device; c) reconnecting the communication device to the certain active telephony session.
 56. An apparatus as defined in claim 34, wherein said processing unit is programmed for causing information related to the message to be delivered to the subscriber during the certain active telephony session by bridging a message delivery system into the certain active telephony session.
 57. An apparatus as defined in claim 34, wherein said processing unit is programmed for causing information related to the message to be delivered to the subscriber during the certain active telephony session by bridging the information related to the message into the certain active telephony session.
 58. An apparatus as defined in claim 57, wherein the certain active telephony session involves the subscriber and at least one other participant and wherein said processing unit is programmed for muting the at least one other participant when the information related to the message is bridged into the certain active telephony session.
 59. An apparatus as defined in claim 34, wherein the information caused to be delivered to the subscriber includes audio information.
 60. An apparatus as defined in claim 34, wherein the information caused to be delivered to the subscriber includes video information.
 61. (canceled)
 62. (canceled)
 63. (canceled)
 64. (canceled)
 65. (canceled)
 66. (canceled)
 67. A computer readable storage medium including a program element suitable for execution by a computing apparatus for delivering information to a subscriber involved in a certain active telephony session, said computing apparatus comprising: a) a memory unit; b) a processor in communication with said memory unit, said program element when executing on said processor being operative for: i) receiving a message originating from a sender and directed to the subscriber, wherein the message is associated to sender identification data; ii) causing information related to the message to be delivered to the subscriber by interrupting the certain active telephony session; iii) determining whether the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session by processing said sender identification data; iv) causing information related to the message to be delivered to the subscriber during the certain active telephony session when it is determined that the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session.
 68. (canceled)
 69. (canceled)
 70. (canceled)
 71. (canceled)
 72. (canceled)
 73. (canceled)
 74. (canceled)
 75. (canceled)
 76. (canceled)
 77. (canceled)
 78. (canceled)
 79. (canceled)
 80. (canceled)
 81. (canceled)
 82. (canceled)
 83. (canceled)
 84. (canceled)
 85. (canceled)
 86. (canceled)
 87. (canceled)
 88. (canceled)
 89. (canceled)
 90. (canceled)
 91. (canceled)
 92. (canceled)
 93. (canceled)
 94. (canceled)
 95. (canceled)
 96. (canceled)
 97. (canceled)
 98. (canceled)
 99. (canceled)
 100. An apparatus for delivering information to a subscriber involved in a certain active telephony session, said apparatus comprising: a) means for receiving a message originating from a sender and directed to the subscriber, wherein the message is associated to sender identification data; b) means for communicating with a communication device associated with the subscriber, the communication device being involved in the certain active telephony session; c) means for causing information related to the message to be delivered to the subscriber through the communication device by interrupting the certain active telephony session; d) means for determining whether the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session by processing said sender identification data; e) means for causing information related to the message to be delivered to the subscriber during the certain active telephony session when the means for determining determines that the sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session.
 101. A computer readable storage medium storing an interrupt privilege database suitable for use by a message delivery system for determining whether a sender of a message is permitted to interrupt a subscriber during an active telephony session, said interrupt privilege database including a plurality of entries, at least some entries in said plurality of entries being defined by the subscriber, each entry being associated to one or more potential senders for allowing determining whether the one or more potential senders are permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session.
 102. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 101, wherein at least one entry in said plurality of entries includes information conveying a condition to be tested for determining whether a potential sender is permitted to interrupt the subscriber during an active telephony session.
 103. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 101, wherein at least one entry in said plurality of entries is associated to a group of potential senders comprising at least two potential senders. 